Time Flies in Europe

Apologies for not posting last Sunday -- I have had an incredibly busy last two weeks. I don't even know where to start...

Skip back to the week before this past week. I learned a couple of interesting cultural things...First of all is the idea of the "greve" and "manifestations." Greve is a strike in French and the manifestations are the protests and parades in relation to the strikes. The protests are very historical here as they stem back to the French Revolution and the storming of the Bastille. Anyways, there was this huge protests (25,000 people) in Tours walking down the main street. It was kind of like a party -- music and singing. But there were a lot of different signs for different reasons: different education system, better pay for the train workers, and the impeachment of Sarkozy among others. I watched the manifestation with some of my friends from other countries and got a lot of their opinions on the protests and how they work in their respective countries. 40% of the workforce was in the protests. And now, the universities here are having a really hard time with the greve. Professors here are government workers because education is nationalized. The professors are on strike thus, students to not have classes. They also don't know when classes will start up again. The strikes here can put life on pause for many individuals. Speaking of, many train and bus employees are on strike, making it harder to travel. February 18th is an important date because it is the day Sarkozy sits down to talk to the union leaders. If the talks do not go well, a bigger strike could literally put the entire country on hold. This country relies on its public transportation.





The past two weeks I've done quite a bit of traveling. Last weekend, I went to Chartres. It is a huge cathedral about 30 minutes outside of Paris by train. Historically, it has the biggest crypts in France and is larger than Notre Dame de Paris. I took a train up to Chartres...it was horrible. There is no direct line from Tours to Chartres so I went through Le Mans. Once in Le Mans, my train to Chartres had been cancelled. I had to wait around 2 hours (thus missing the time to go down into the crypts) for the next train. Once in Chartres, I realized I had no memory card (I bought one later in the afternoon) to take pictures. I just enjoyed myself in the cathedral not worrying about taking pictures. It was actually relaxing. I went up the tower (climbed 600 steps) to see an amazing view of the city. Overall, the trip was very enjoyable. I am in an Art History class here and knowing what I"m looking at in these massive cathedrals really makes things ten times better.



My sister came to visit this week so I had a great time getting to see her and speak French with her more. :) I'm meeting more French people and not hanging out with the English speakers as much now, and I'm a lot happier.



Yesterday, my program traveled to St. Savin (an abbey) and the city of Poitiers. We saw a lot of sculptures in two cathedrals in Poitiers and had our packed lunches there. My host dad sent me 3 sandwiches and a huge pot of taboule. He thinks I eat so much when I don't. lol We all share our lunches between the group -- its funny. I LOVED St. Savin. It's a completely painted church. The ceiling has paintings that date to the 11th century. The detail and the story line of the paintings fascinate me. The paint was painted on wet plaster as they made the church so the painters had to work quickly. I wish I could explain the detail of the paintings but I'll post some pics to give you an idea.



I find it interesting how people here practice religion. My host dad was telling me that there are 70% Catholics, 20% Protestant, and 10% agnostic. Most individuals here are agnostic rather than atheist. My father (in the US) told me he read an article saying that more than 90% of people have not been to church (I don't know what time frame). I don't find this the case, however. When I visit churches there are always people there praying at the altar with the relics. I just find it interesting how the churches are the center of the old towns and how everything is built around them. It shows how involved religion was in people's lives.

Last Sunday was the Superbowl in the states. However, no one in Europe cared. Instead, we were too busy (especially in France) getting excited and watching the World Championship Team Handball match between France and Croatia. For those of you who don't know handball, it's like a mix of soccer, hockey, and basketball mixed with a tiny bit of football. The US just started playing and had their first team in the Olypmics last summer. The game is fun to watch and it was an really intense final match. And of course, the French won!! :)

Top Ten for the Week: What I love about France
1. Nutella for breakfast...mmm chocalately goodness.
2. Carte 12-25: Get train tickets for cheap!!
3. Art History (even though Kevin always goes at least a half hour longer)
4. Studio Movies: Original movies in English with French subtitles
5. Taboo Junior in French
6. Meeting actual French people and being friends with them
7. Talking on the phone in French
8. Soldes!!
9. Cathedrals
10. Wine tastings

Have a good week everyone!! Leave me comments/questions...I'll be better about getting back to them this week! (I have midterms Thursday and Friday so I won't be on Wednesday or Thursday)

Pictures: My friends and me in front of my school, manifestation, tower of Chartres, Chartres cathedral, me in a town outside of Poitiers, St. Savin Painted Church